AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
25 
CHEMISTRY 
FOR SMALL AND LARGE BOYS AND GIRLS. 
CHAPTER IX. 
Hydrogen—Symbol H—Atomic Weight 1. 
75. In the figure below we have an illus¬ 
tration of the manner of catching or retain¬ 
ing hydrogen as fast as it is set at liberty 
from the oxygen, with which it is combined 
to form water. This apparatus is very sim¬ 
ple, and any one of our readers can make it. 
For ordinary experiments the bottle may 
be of any kind of glass, and of any shape 
and size, though one holding about a pint, 
having a wide-mouth neck, is more conve¬ 
nient. We have used large vials, syrup, 
pepper-sauce, common junk, and beer bot¬ 
tles. Through a tightly-fitting cork a hole 
is made for inserting the small bent tube a. 
This tube may be of lead pipe, glass, tin, or 
even of wood. Our first gas tube (which we 
used on the farm where we could get no 
other) was a long hollow reed, which bent 
easily. The most convenient tube is one of 
small lead pipe. Care should be taken to 
have it fit tightly in the cork, The opening 
through the cork may be made with a round 
file or burning iron. The vessel b may be a 
deep tin pan or wash-dish, or a small tub, 
bucket, or pail, filled nearly full of water. 
C is a tumbler filled with water, standing 
bottom upward in the water, but raised from 
the bottom of the vessel far enough for the 
crooked tube to go under its edge. 
To use this apparatus, the cork is taken 
out, a handful of small slips of zinc are put 
in, then water enough added to cover them, 
and finally a little sulphuric acid (common 
oil of vitriol) is slowly poured in from a vial 
or bottle, until bubbles begin to rise quite 
rapidly. The cork with the tube through it, 
is now pressed firmly into its place. The 
hydrogen gas that is formed, having no oth¬ 
er place of escape, goes over through the 
tube,'and escapes under the tumbler at c; and 
rises up and takes the place of the water, 
just as air would, should you take one end of 
a tube in your mouth and blow under the 
tumbler. But there is considerable air in 
the tube and bottle, and on this account a 
good many bubbles should be allowed to 
escape before the end of the tube is put un¬ 
der the inverted tumbler. 
You can fill a bottle or glass jar, or any 
other vessel, with gas in the same manner. 
First fill the vessel with water, and place 
the hand or a piece of pasteboard over its 
mouth, to prevent air from entering while 
you are turning it bottom upward into the 
water over the end of the tube at c. You 
will see that the water keeps the air from 
mingling with the gas. 
We have been thus particular in describing 
this simple apparatus, because it will serve 
for producing and collecting other gasses or 
air-like substances. 
76. When you have a tumbler filled with 
hydrogen gas, you can raise it up gently 
from the surface of the water, and the gas 
will remain in it for some time, because it is 
so much lighter than the air (70) ; but after 
a time it will become mingled with it, be¬ 
cause the air is always in motion. If you 
turn the tumbler right side up, the hydrogen 
gas will instantly rise up, and the heavier 
air sink into the tumbler. 
77. Raise the tumbler up gently and bring 
a lighted candle under it, and the gas will 
take fire and burn slowly. If the candle is 
thrust up into the tumbler it will go out, be¬ 
cause it can not burn without the oxygen of 
the air; but though the candle goes out 
while in the gas, the gas itself will continue 
to burn at the edge of the tumbler where it 
comes in contact with the air. You will re¬ 
member we said (74) that, in burning, the 
hydrogen unites with oxygen from the air, 
to form new particles of water. 
Here is another example of elective (or 
choosing) affinity, described in chapter vi. 
In air, N L ,0,or NNO, the oxygen (0) is united 
with nitrogen (N), but when heated by the 
flame, it exerts a choice (or its stronger af¬ 
finity), and leaves the nitrogen and unites 
with the hydrogen (H) to form a new sub¬ 
stance—water. So we shall find that all 
ordinary kinds of combustion, or burn¬ 
ing, are produced by oxygen leaving the air 
and uniting with the burning substances, on 
account of having a greater affinity for them 
than for nitrogen. 
78. Another very pretty experiment, and 
one easily performed, is made as follows : 
Fit the stem of a common smoking-pipe into 
a cork adapted to the neck of the 
bottle containing the hydrogen- 
producing materials (water, zinc 
and acid). This is shown in the 
figure. Let the gas escape for 
some minutes, so that the air may 
all be driven out, and then light 
the jet of gas at the upper end of 
the pipe-stem. It will burn with 
an almost invisible flame, as long as any 
gas is produced. Hold an inverted tumbler 
over this flame for a moment, and the inside 
will be coated with a condensed vapor of 
water, formed by the union of the hydrogen 
with the oxygen of the air during the burn¬ 
ing. 
N. B.—Before bringing flame near the gas 
jet, a towel should be placed around the bot¬ 
tle, so that, in case the air should not all be 
expelled and an explosion take place, the 
towel may prevent any pieces of glass from 
injuring the experimenter. (See note at end 
of last chapter.) 
79. A glass or tin tube held down over the 
burning jet, will often produce a shrill musi¬ 
cal sound. 
80. Hold a large-size pistol barrel over the 
gas jet when not on fire, and let a little of 
the gas rise and mingle with the air inside 
the barrel, keeping the thumb over the prim¬ 
ing-hole, to prevent its escape upward. 
Close the muzzle with a previously fitted 
cork, and, removing the thumb, apply a 
lighted match, when a loud report will take 
place, owing to the rapid union of the hydro¬ 
gen and oxygen (of the air). 
We advise you to read over chapter vi and 
vii and this one, and try to understand fully 
where the hydrogen comes from, and how it 
is obtained. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
RECIPES—DRUGGING POOD. 
a lady’s protest. 
A late number of your paper contains 
some very sensible remarks from one of 
your lady correspondents, upon the subject 
of Recipes and Recipe Books, and their ad¬ 
vantage to young housekeepers. I class my¬ 
self under this head, and am always happy 
to obtain good or new ideas from experienced 
houskeepers, be they young or old, and re¬ 
gard that portion of your paper devoted to 
hints upon household affairs and domestic 
economy as not the least important. While 
I cordially agree with your correspondent 
in her remarks upon this subject, I must beg 
to disagree in the Recipes which she fur¬ 
nishes. Why must soda and cream of tartar, 
enter so largely into the composition of all 
our cakes, be they for breakfast or tea? 
In my experience I have found well-beaten 
eggs to serve every purpose in rendering the 
article “ light,” which I suppose is the object 
aimed at, in introducing the soda and cream 
of tartar. If we must be drugged, let us have 
it in some other form. If the medicine 
must be taken, let us find it in its proper 
place, not on the shelves of our kitchen pan- 
tries, nor on our breakfast and tea-tables. It 
seems to be quite a prevalent idea that good 
bread can not be made without the addition 
of soda or saleratus. If housekeepers will 
but take a little more trouble in preparing 
yeast , see to it that none goes into the com¬ 
position of the bread but such as is perfectly 
sweet, and a little care that the bread is baked 
before it becomes acid from being over-raised , 
I think they would soon find an improve¬ 
ment. You have already given us so many 
valuable hints with regard to this, the most 
important branch of household art, that I 
need not dilate upon it. It would require 
but little experience, and a slight knowledge 
of chemical combinations, to show that bread 
rendered light by saleratus, soda, &c., is not 
as sweet , is less moist , and tastes less like 
fresh bread, than that made with well pre¬ 
pared yeast alone. Let us see upon the ta¬ 
bles of our farmers, and of our young house 
keepers, light, sweet and digestible bread, ren¬ 
dered so by fresh yeast, and not by an ad¬ 
mixture from the shelves of the druggist. 
Let your correspondent try her recipes, with¬ 
out the soda and cream of tartar, but ^yith 
thoroughly beaten eggs, and give us the re¬ 
sult of her experience, and I am certain she 
will find her cake better in every respect. It 
will taste better, keep better, (if that be any 
object,) and I am sure after one or two trials, 
she will be pleased with the change. Our 
grandmothers and fathers never heard of 
such a mode of cooking, and though we are 
progressing in the culinary art, as well as in 
all others, I think if we build upon their foun¬ 
dations we shall find it a good one. I have 
already found myself the gainer, by making 
